Modification of polyester fabrics with nanosized titanium dioxide to impart photoactivity

Abstract

Modification of the polyester fabric using the diluted suspension of nanosized titanium dioxide is shown to make the fabric capable of decomposing the adsorbed contaminants under irradiation. The effect of different types of preactivation of polyester material on the self-cleaning ability of the fabrics is investigated. Chemical preactivation and preactivation using surface barrier discharge plasma additionally enhances the photochemical activity of the modified fabrics. The resistance of the achieved effect to operational impacts, such as washing and dry friction, is estimated and is found to be satisfactory. Modification of polyester fabrics using nanosized titanium dioxide protects it against intense UV radiation.